BLM Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Iron Mine

Fillmore, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Fillmore Field Office is seeking public comment on a plan of operations and environmental assessment (EA) analyzing the potential impacts of a proposed mining project located approximately 24 miles southwest of Delta, in Millard County, Utah.

The proposed Long Ridge Iron Mine Project includes a placer mining operation on public lands and would create approximately 65 acres of surface disturbance on public land.

Additional information about the proposed project is included in both the plan and EA, which are available for public review and comment at the BLM-Utah Fillmore Field Office during regular business hours—8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, except federal holidays. An electronic copy of the EA can be found on the Fillmore Field Office website at - http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/fillmore.html.

The public review and comment period for the plan of operations and EA ends July 26, 2013. Please note that the most useful comments are those that identify issues relevant to the proposed action or contain new technical or scientific information. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response, but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process. Please reference “Long Ridge Iron Mine Project” when submitting comments.

Written comments may be mailed, emailed, or submitted via fax using the following:

Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask in your comment to withhold personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. The BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

For further information, please contact Jerry Mansfield at (435) 743-3125. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question with the above individual. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.